CHARLOTTE – Veteran Cherryville Post 100 American Legion coach Bobby Reynolds knows just how important playoff victories are – no matter how you get them.

That’s why Post 100 was hardly going to apologize for taking advantage of Mint Hill mistakes in Wednesday’s 7-4 win at Independence High School in which seven VFW Post 4059 fielding errors made six of Cherryville’s seven runs unearned.

“Just like I told them before the game, we know they’ve got some big-time players,” said Reynolds, whose team goes for a 2-0 series lead at home Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Fraley Field. “But we’re not trying to win 10 out of 10. We’re just trying to win tonight.”

Cherryville won Game 1 by taking advantage of eight hits, seven errors and two walks. Josh Beam and Cameron High led the offense with two hits apiece and Derrick Braun pitched 2 2-3 innings of scoreless relief to pick up the win after starter Brandon Alexander went 6 1-3 innings.

Game 3 returns to Independence High on Friday night at 7 p.m. as Cherryville attempts to extend its record streak of consecutive North Carolina Area IV titles to seven years.

“I thought Derrick Braun did a fine job in relief,” Reynolds said. Pinch-hitter Tyler “Shumaker had a big (eighth-inning) knock and they ran it down and just didn’t finish the play.”

Cherryville (14-11) got the start it wanted against Eastern Division regular season champion Mint Hill (19-6) as Post 100 scored runs in the first and third innings.

In the first, leadoff batter Cody Dellinger reached on an infield hit and later scored on High’s two-out double. In the third, Beam scored an unearned run after hitting a one-out triple.

After falling behind 3-2, Cherryville tied the score on another unearned run in the fifth when Hunter Jackson reached on a fielding error, moved to second on Dellinger’s sacrifice bunt and scored on a throwing error.

Mint Hill retook the lead in the fifth, but wouldn’t score again as Alexander worked out of trouble in the fifth and sixth innings before being relieved by Braun with one out in the seventh. After yielding a leadoff walk, Braun coaxed a double play as he recorded the last seven batters.

Cherryville’s rally came after a fielding gem by Mint Hill third baseman Matt Simmons. Simmons, who has signed with Gardner-Webb University, dove to stop a potential double down the line and fired home to get Beam out at the plate.

But Shumaker’s long drive to left-center was dropped as two runs scored. And pinch-runner Grey Goines later scored on the front end of a double-steal.

Cherryville added its final run on High’s two-out RBI single. It scored Dellinger, who reached on a one-out error.

You can reach Richard Walker at 704-869-1841 or by twitter.com/JRWalk22

N.C. Area IV playoffs

First round (best of 5):

East-2 (Gaston Braves) vs. West-7 (Rutherford)

Game 1: July 3 at GB (GB 8-3)

Game 2: July 4 at R (ppd., rain)

Game 2: July 5 at R (ppd., rain)

Game 2: July 6 at R (ppd., rain)

Game 2: July 7 at GB (GB 9-4)

Game 3: July 8 at R (GB 5-3, GB wins 3-0)

East-6 (Kings Mountain) vs. West-3 (Hickory)

Game 1: July 3 at H (ppd., rain)

Game 1: July 4 at H (ppd., rain)

Game 1: July 5 at H (ppd., rain)

Game 1: July 6 at H (ppd., rain)

Games 1 and 2: July 7 at KM and H (ppd., rain)

Game 1: July 8 at H (H 8-0)

Game 2: July 8 at H (H 16-2 in 5)

Game 3: July 9 at Shelby (H 8-1, H wins 3-0)

East-4 (Union) vs. West-5 (Asheville)

Game 1: July 3 at U (ppd., rain)

Game 1: July 4 at U (ppd., rain)

Game 1: July 5 at U (A 10-4)

Game 2: July 5 at U (suspended)

Game 2: July 6 at A (ppd., rain)

Game 2: July 7 at U (U 15-2)

Game 3: July 7 at U (A 7-6)

Game 4: July 8 at A (ppd., rain)

Game 4: July 9 at A (A 3-2, A wins 3-1)

East-8 (Haywood) vs. West-1 (Shelby)

Game 1: July 3 at S (S 8-0 in 7)

Game 2: July 4 at S (ppd., rain)

Game 2: July 5 at H (ppd., rain)

Game 2: July 6 at H (ppd., rain)

Game 2: July 7 at S (S by forfeit)

Game 3: July 8 at H (S 3-0, S wins 3-0)

East-1 (Mint Hill) vs. West-8 (Burke)

Game 1: July 3 at MH (ppd., rain)

Game 1: July 4 at MH (MH 11-1 in 7)

Game 2: July 5 at MH (MH 11-1 in 7)

Game 3: July 6 at MH (suspended)

Game 3: July 7 at B (M 12-9, M wins 3-0)

East-5 (Huntersville) vs. West-4 (Cherryville)

Game 1: July 3 at C (C 11-8)

Game 2: July 4 at H (C 7-2)

Game 3: July 5 at C (ppd., rain)

Game 3: July 6 at C (ppd., rain)

Game 3: July 7 at C (C 6-5 in 10, C wins 3-0)

East-3 (Lincoln) vs. West-6 (Henderson)

Game 1: July 3 at L (ppd. rain)

Game 1: July 4 at L (L 2-1)

Game 2: July 5 at H (ppd., rain)

Game 2: July 6 at H (ppd., rain)

Game 2: July 7 at L (L 8-1)

Game 3: July 8 at H (H 3-2)

Game 4: July 8 at H (H 8-1)

Games 5: July 9 at L (L 5-3 in 7 1-2/rain, L wins 3-2)

East-7 (Gastonia) vs. West-2 (Caldwell)

Game 1: July 3 at C (ppd., rain)

Game 1: July 4 at G (suspended)

Game 1: July 5 at C (ppd., rain)

Game 1: July 6 at C (G 4-3 in 12)

Game 2: July 6 at C (suspended)

Game 2: July 7 at C (C 12-2 in 7)

Game 3: July 7 at C (C 4-3)

Game 4: July 8 at G (G 11-8)

Game 5: July 9 at C (suspended at 0-0 after 7, C wins 2-1 as series reverts to best-of-3)